from loved ones as the war continues in their home country. hello and welcome to bbc news. a fierce arctic winter storm has triggered emergency alerts across parts of the united states and forced the cancellation of more than 2000 flights. forecasters say the cold snap could bring the coldest christmas in decades. presidentjoe biden has encouraged everyone to heed warnings and bring forward christmas travel plans where possible. this is what it looks like when a bomb cyclone descends on north america. these huge banks of snow in north dakota are the result of an intense blizzard that swept through the state. conditions that are set to engulf almost the entire country, just in time for christmas. but this is no winter wonderland. the storm could prove deadly. great swathes of the us will experience some of the lowest temperatures ever recorded here. there is already chaos at the airports. this is new york. for many, it should have been the first normal christmas after covid. b
unless pay talks are opened, with even more hospital trusts expected to walk out than the december strikes. meanwhile, union chiefs say borderforce strikes could go on for six months unless the government joins pay talks. china continues to grapple with a major covid outbreak following a lifting of restrictions with growing questions about the government s official death tally. and the british husband and wife duo who ve had more uk christmas number one singles than the beatles meet ladbaby who ve bagged the spot for a record fifth time. for you watching in the uk, on pbs in the us and around the globe, welcome to bbc news. the french president, emmanuel macron, has condemned a shooting at a cultural centre in paris as an odious attack on the country s kurdish population. three people were killed and three injured by the gunman, who had just been released from detention for targeting a migrant camp a year ago. clashes later broke out between police and a large crowd which h
and i can t be more grateful to les and to all other people who open their hearts and homes for us, because this christmas, maybe have no christmas this year, if not for these people. my aim is really to try and make it as normal as it possibly can be. i so we re going to have everybody at home on christmas day, - 17 people around the table. so that would be very nice, i think. at this special time of year, these families are putting on a brave face. they are glad they are safe, but also hopeful that they ll soon be reunited with the people they love. jo black, bbc news, ely. that is it from me for now. plenty more on all of our stories on the bbc news website. you can also contact me on twitter. have a lovely day. bye bye.
and i can t be more grateful to les and to all other people who open their hearts and homes for us, because this christmas, maybe have no christmas this year, if not for these people. my aim is really to try and make it as normal as it possibly can be. i so, we re going to have everybody at home on christmas day, - 17 people around the table. so, that will be very nice, i think. at this special time of year, these families are putting on a brave face. they are glad they are safe, but also hopeful that they ll soon be reunited with the people they love. jo black, bbc news, ely. several people have been arrested in afghanistan as protests continue against the new ban by the taliban on women attending universities. a number of social media platforms are full with videos showing women protesting in kabul. the taliban have since stopped the protests and have arrested at least five women. sodaba bayani,